Kurdish forces may be taking Iraq and Syria by storm against Daesh (ISIS), but they're far from faultless when it comes to war abuses.
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday came out with a report on the People's Protection Units (YPG), saying the fighters are still using child soldiers despite its promise to an organization in Geneva last year.
Girls and boys under the age of 18 have been recruited and deployed to fight in the war against Daesh and the Syrian regime. The monitor compiled a list of at least 59 children who were recruited by the YPG or volunteered since June 2014, sometimes without parents' permission. Many have died in combat.
“The YPG promised to stop sending children to war and it should carry out its promise,” said Fred Abrahams, special adviser at Human Rights Watch. “Of course the Kurdish forces are fighting groups like ISIS that flout the laws of war, but that’s no excuse to tolerate abuses by its own forces.”
When the HRW asked the YPG about the allegations, the Kurdish armed wing said it faced "significant challenges" to end its use of children during the conflict.
In June 2014 the group signed an agreement with NGO Geneva Call to end its use of child soldiers within a month. By July the YPG had demobilized 149 children, the HRW said, but still had more to go.
By Hayat Norimine
